Friends, family, and more than a few Oak Harbor dignitaries recently helped welcome one the city’s most prominent law firms into their new location on Barrington Drive.

The law offices of Skinner and Saar, previously located on SE Pioneer Way, moved into their new office across from City Hall earlier this year. A grand opening and ribbon cutting in April was held and was so well attended that it was standing room only.

“What do you say about the Skinners,” laughed Oak Harbor Mayor Jim Slowik, who was asked to say a few words to the crowd. “Well, I say welcome back to the neighborhood.”

The law firm’s roots began in the same building more than 30 years ago when a young Christon Skinner became a partner at the law office of Zylstra, Beeksma, Waller & Skinner. Ted Zylstra was Skinner’s father-in-law.

Skinner would go on to found his own successful firm, later partnering with Douglas Saar. While it was nice to be back in the building where he got his start, Skinner said the move was dictated primarily by the growth of the business.

“Bottom line is we ran out of space,” Skinner said.

Opening the first office in 1996 on Pioneer Way, the firm has grown steadily over the years. Today, it has a companion office in Friday Harbor, offers a full range of legal services through its team of seven attorneys, and employs 18 people.

According to Saar, the firm’s success can be attributed to several factors. One of the most important has been a diversified legal team. By having individual attorneys specialize in certain areas of the law, they’ve been able to offer top-notch services within a small community.

“Hard work and client service, that’s the secret,” Saar said.